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A Voice For Bath & Beyond

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Radio Bath Logo

A Voice For Bath & Beyond

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About us - Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees

We currently have four trustees with considerable professional experience of both the radio industry and the charity sector.

Colin Blackburn

Colin Blackburn

Trustee

Colin started work in Bath in 1985, spent 25 years in an export career, working across the global. Married with two teenage children, Colin relocated back to Bath in 2011. Colin was elected as an Independent councillor to Bath & North East Somerset Council in 2015 and still serves the ward of Westmoreland. A director in 3 companies managing work experience programmes for students, he also coaches Junior Rugby for Bath RFC.
David Hobdey

David Hobdey

Trustee

David has broad experience gained from senior leadership roles (executive and non-executive) in both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors. He was CEO of St John’s Foundation in Bath, one of the UK’s oldest charities, until July 2024, which followed experience as a finance director in the NHS. David is a chartered accountant and, earlier in his career, specialised in corporate finance. He serves as trustee/director of a small number of other local charities in the Bath region as well as Radio Bath. They are all share aims focused on tackling stark inequalities in our region that impact significantly on the lives of too many members of our communities
Susanna Jones

Susanna Jones

Trustee

Susanna has extensive experience with values based strategy and development, internal/external communications, stakeholder engagement, performance and people management, culture and governance.  Starting her career as a journalist, she worked for 17-years in commercial radio, including roles as a News Editor, Breakfast show co-host, Sports Show host and a News Project Manager looking after the training and development needs of more than 100 journalists across the country. Susanna then moved into the Voluntary Sector, including 9 years as Chief Executive of a charity supporting nearly 6000 unpaid carers.  She also has 30 years of volunteer leadership experience, has recently been appointed as a Member of a Multi-Academy Trust across Wiltshire and Swindon and was awarded an MBE for services to unpaid carers in June 2025.

Claire Gates

Claire Gates

Trustee

Claire is an experienced strategy consultant and company director with 25 years in professional services, education, and the charity sector. She spent eight years at KPMG and PwC before holding senior roles at Wilsons Solicitors and Help For Heroes, later founding her own consultancy. Based in Bath, Claire works with charities and businesses of all sizes on strategic planning, operational efficiency, and leadership development. In recent years she also co-created My Coast, a free coastal safety app developed with the RNLI to promote safer beach days.

Legal Structure

Radio Bath is registered as a foundation Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The CIO format offers the benefits associated with being both a charity and an incorporated company, but only requires it to register with and report to the Charity Commission. The charity element of the CIO provides organisations with better access to funding and sponsorship, and exemption from certain taxes. It also qualifies for Gift Aid, making them more attractive to individual donors. The company element of the CIO provides ‘limited liability’ protection to trustees, and allows the organisation to enter into contracts, hold assets and conduct business in its own right.

If you have a complaint or concern regarding Radio Bath please contact our Programme Controller Steve Fountain via email at steve@radiobath.com. You can also view information from our regulator Ofcom regarding how to complain.